No, not battling in the sense of "Why can't my size 9 feet squeeze into these 7 1/2 Jimmy Choo shoes? They are the last ones left!" The new video game The World Ends With You requires you to be up on your trends if you want to make it to the next level. The game takes place in a world where the characters pride themselves on their funky, outlandish clothing. That's right, who knew the main point of a video game would ever be fashion?

The main character Nebu and his buddies, when they're not battling, enjoy shopping for trendy threads. The outfits you choose offer various superpowers, but you've got to be careful, because what's cool in one neighborhood is absolutely hideous in another. Sounds a bit overwhelming, – fighting two separate battles simultaneously on both screens of Nintendo DS and keep yourself looking fashionably cool, no? But if you're a hard core gamer and think you're on top of your fashion game, you might want to check it out.

The straws have it, especially in the form of bags and clutches. Nothing says'beach' and 'summer' like a straw accessories. Carry the Donald J. Pliner convertible tote on an excursion over the boardwalk, and the Kate Spade Darlington Ava clutch at night.

The Los Angeles-based designer Rozae Nichols — known for her fabrics, layering and visual design language derived from her time working in Hong Kong and Paris — is heading to the Ugg Australia Company to design a small capsule collection of outwear. The design match is perfect, as she showed a deft, advant gard hand with shearling in her own Fall 2008 collection. The Ugg collection will consist of 14 pieces ranging in price from approximately $595 for a suede pullover to $2,300 for a full-length shearling coat. The collection has been described as a utilitarian chic point of view, keeping the authentic feel of the brand but bringing a true fashion prospective to a traditional shoe company. There is talk of the brand expanding to accessories. We can only hope, no?

But until then you can check our Zappos.com's large selection of all this Uggs and shop to you drop.

The heat is on! Well, soon it will be here on the West coast, so to keep your hair from frizzing or falling flat, use fun hair accessories to keep it off your face. Sweep bangs away from your forehead with a red headband or pin it all up and clip in a cute barrette to look cool while feeling hot – literally.

The saying ‘teens, tweens and everything in between,’ has taken on new social meaning. The tween market’s social networking is very popular and expanding rapidly due in part to the social networking site Stardoll Virtual World. Stardoll is a 10 million+ strong, virtual site catering to young girls 7 to 17, where even a paper doll need never know an unfashionable day. The tweens can also create dolls of their favorite celebrities, discuss and share the dolls. Tweens visiting the site can virtually outfit paper dolls in everything from DKNY to Mary-Kate and Ashley clothing, thanks to the recently launched real brand fashion boutiques. But if that were not enough, they can also design their own outfits on the site and pay for them in virtual currency. Imagine, virtual doll couture, who knew?

Diane Keaton pulled it off best in Annie Hall, and you can, too! The key is layering masculine pieces with the feminine to create a balance – layer a vest over a collared shirt, wide leg trousers and an ultra-fem shoe keep the look from looking too butch.

The What: 1. Ben Sherman Dryden sleeveless knit vest

The How To: 2. Moschino tuxedo-style shirt 3. Jean Paul Gaultier ring 4. MICHAEL Michael Kors linen wide leg pant 5. Dolce and Gabbana large hobo shoulder bag 6. Costume National patent leather pumps

The When: Look sharp at work.

The Why: The guys have nothing on you when you're smokin' – fashionably and professionally.

Costume National patent leather pumps

Ah, the driving shoe. You know, that status symbol leather mocassin-like shoe that slides on — no laces, no buckles — rich leather, nubby bottom. Think of a well-made shoe, soft and flexible, perfect for walking or driving distances like this one by Givenchy. Seriously, they go with jeans and a tee, slacks and blazer, or good old fashioned khakis, polo and a sweater around the shoulders. Connecticut or Malibu anyone?

Ladies, swimsuit weather is upon us, well, at least on the West coast. There are bikinis, tankinis, vintage bikinis a la Bardot, and, of course, the uber sexy cut-out one-piece. However, we here at Couture were wondering, no matter how fabulous the suit, what does one do about the odd tan lines? How does one go from a cut-out to a two piece? Do you love 'em or hate 'em? Please tell us what you think. Really.

Santo Versace is a member of the State Chamber in Italy’s Parliament. As if heading the family business with sister Donatella doesn’t already keep him busy, it’s rumored Santo could win a cabinet post.

“I decided to run because I want to do something concrete for the future,” he told WWD on April 16. Good to see more people in the fashion industry becoming concerned and taking action for the world’s future!

Everyone probably feels they could use a bit more structure in their lives. Why not start off with a simple, structured bag? It’s big enough to hold most of your goods but with short enough handles that it’s dainty to carry. My pick: this bag by Furla is a great example.

During Barack Obama’s primary concession speech April 22 in Evansville, IN, it looked like Abercrombie and Fitch had paid for advertising placement – for the entire time he was on camera, were three young men with Abercrombie shirts seated directly behind Obama. And if you’ve seen Abercrombie shirts, you know those are some large, hard-to-miss logos.

But the crazy part is those guys were paid to sit there – just not by A&F. Obama’s people put them there to get young people excited about him as a candidate. He lost to Hillary Clinton by a 10-point margin. The retail chain has proved to be influential over the years (just check sales numbers). Maybe this move will inspire the youngins to vote, if not for Obama, just vote, this year?

Suing someone who benefits a charity? Really?

Louis Vuitton is suing student artist Nadia Plesner over her Simply Living campaign, which benefits Divest for Darfur. The campaign features an illustration of a Darfur victim holding an accessory-sized dog and a white bag that looks like an LV bag – but it’s not. Instead of Ls intersecting with the Vs, S’s intersect with Ls. The point of this illustration is to prove that an image that evokes young “glamour” and materialism will get more attention than Darfur victims themselves. She was right, and that image is on T-shirts and posters, raising money for Divest for Darfur.

BUT even though the design on the purse in the illustration, which isn’t an exact copy of the Mukrami pattern, Louis Vuitton is still suing because they claim it infringes property rights. We get it – it’s not the best publicity for Louis Vuitton if what’s meant to be a bag of theirs is hanging on the arm of a Darfur victim. But come on, suing a charity?

The What: HUGO Hugo Boss Lalli Ruched Empire Waist Leather Dress

The How to Wear it: 1. D&G Dolce & Gabbana Dangling Charm and Logo Ring 2. Alexander McQueen Elvie Embossed Croco Platinum Handbag 3. Roberto Cavalli Sweet Giraffes Leather Ankle Strap sandals

The When: Evenings. To a cocktail party and/or social mixer, dinner with friends or just to look hot, hot, hot!

The Why: The climate versatility of the dress. Its ruching. Its empire waist flattering look. The sexy, yet still ladylike neckline. Shall I go on?

We asked you what you thought of man-pris earlier this week, and were answered with a resounding, "No! Don't do it! Whatever you do, no matter how indecisive, just choose between shorts or pants!"

Well, John Mayer disagrees. Or...well, since he does look a bit embarassed in these photos, maybe he realized his fashion faux pas a bit too late...he should have been reading our Love 'Em or Hate 'Em blogs.

I guess we'll have to see if he's ever photographed in man-pris again.

LiLo — that’s Ms. Linsay Lohan to you — will be the new face of fashion lifestyle brand Fornarina, making for a hopefully strong and trouble-free pairing. The news was revealed a la Ms. Lindsay herself at Fornarina Urban Beauty Show at the Carrousel du Louvre on Monday in Paris. It was reported that the crowd was 2,000 strong, whether that was due to the brand, the curiosity of Lindsay or both, it is not known. The first pictures of Lindsay fronting the brand break in 2009.

Thankfully for us here at Zappos.com, it won’t matter when the ads break, as we already carry the brand. Hear that LiLo? We are already in the know, thank you very much.

Bugs and mosquitoes might be annoying, but nature is showing up on lots of apparel and fashion accessories. Spiders and such aren’t so scary when they’re adorning brooches or printed on shirts, or find the prettier parts of nature, like birds or butterflies, adorning sunglasses and other accessories.

Well, in the sense of a scent anyway. Mr. Josh Hartnett was selected by Giorgio Armani, as reported in May 14 Women’s Wear Daily, to be the new face of his upcoming men’s summer scent, Diamonds. The scent as you already fashionably know exists for women, with Beyonce Knowles (Mrs. Jay-Z) as the brand’s face.

These days it seems fashion houses are recognizing that successful launches and sales are driven these days by film and music, so Ms. Knowles makes scent sense, since she is successful in both genres but, Mr. Hartnett? He is known for previous works like Black Dahlia, Pearl Harbor, and Hollywood Homicide – well, known in a bad way for those last two box office bombs – but it has been awhile since we have seen him in anything other than gossip glossies and Page Six news. Perhaps this really does prove, one need only have a handsome, scruffy face and an occasional movie. Well that and a buff bod, lets not forget about David Beckham. As if!

Fashionable little girls will be ready for summer with these metallic Armani Junior sandals. The T-strap is chic, the sandal is sleek and silver matches any pink or floral dress.

Or, at least, he must, because Sean Avery, the 28-year-old hockey player for the New York Rangers and a major playa with the ladies, will be interning at Vogue Magazine this summer. This struck me as odd. First, he’s 28. Huh? Second, he’s a hockey player. Really? Third, he’s interning for a high-end fashion magazine. I’m lost.

But not others, including my boss. “He has a great sense of fashion, and with all the ladies he dates now, you know the Vogue offices are the perfect place to pick up a few more.” Obviously this is our personal opinion based on his rumored womanizing reputation in New York City. But Avery didn’t have to give an arm, an eye, starve himself and smoke outside sans stockings during a New York City winter to get his foot in the door at Vogue. Oh, no. It’s rumored he was hand-picked by Anna Wintour. But the question is, was it his fashion knowledge or hockey-playing good looks that caught her eye? We’re sure his eye for fashion and penchant for black patent leather Yves Saint Laurent high-tops wasn’t the only thing that got him picked.

Slides are in – not the playground kind, though. Summery and easy to wear (and easy to lose if you’re running, be careful!), these sandals are yet another summer staple. Slide around town in these Juicy Couture slides.

One doesn’t normally think of an Air Force pilot and WWII bomber would ever evolve into a fashion designer, much less a sought-after, successful fashion designer. But Emilio Pucci surprised us all with his history. Born in 1914 to a noble Florence family, he served in the Italian Air Force from during WWII, worked his way up to captain, but left the Air Force behind in favor of fashion. It’s hard to picture a designer with his capabilities talking army strategy and flying bomber jets…but obviously, anything is possible.

Pucci is known for its kaleidoscope of vibrant, colorful prints and geometrical patterns and a ‘60s vibe on shoes and clothing; the man knew what needed to be done to stand out and his earliest efforts, colorful ski suits, certainly did. His couture house opened in 1950, and we here at Couture nabbed his shoes as soon as we could – these architecturally-inspired, pretty wedges and notice-me geometrically colorful pumps are some of our ultimate favorites.

Love affairs these days seem so short, don’t they? You are hot one moment — primping, posing and sashaying in magazine layouts for a brand — and then you're out. It would seem that the advertising tryst between Miu Miu and Kirsten Dunst is over, finished. Vanessa Paradis, famous French actress, established French musician and mother of Johnny Depp’s children is the brand’s new ‘It’ face, according to Women’s Wear Daily’s May 14 edition.

No word yet on who got to keep the clothes from the Dunst brand divorce. Just kidding. But perhaps the Devil really does wear Prada (Miu Miu’s owner, in case you did not know.)

Picasso may have been onto something – geometric shapes create more interesting silhouettes for notice-me paintings, in his case, and fashion in our case. Geometrical jewelry is gaining popularity for their attention-grabbing shapes. This cuff by Marc by Marc Jacobs is no exception.

The What: Brixton straw fedora hat

The How To Wear it: With the King Baby Studio Skull pendant, Jean Paul Gaultier button-up shirt, King Baby Studio Slash cross ring, Jean Paul Gaultier jeans and Harrys of London mocassins.

The When: When you want to look smokin'.

The Why: Seriously, how hot is this look?